Entertainment PR is vast. It encompasses public relations that handles musicians, bands, celebrities and actors; basically anyone who works within the field of entertainment. Here’s an example: An artist signed with, say Universal is releasing an album. To promote and help sell the album, and to ensure that the artist’s doings are in the news, Universal’s PR arm would normally send out press releases to journalists informing them of said album and to also let them know the artist is available for interviews.
Most new artists rely on the in-house PR for that. Certain artists (musicians), especially A-list ones, will hire outside entertainment PR firms to set up interviews, which allows them more control over who interviews them. Let’s think of an entertainment publicist as a “gatekeeper;” the ones who determine who gets access (or not) to the celeb/musician/actor.
The duties of an entertainment PR firm vary by client. Going back to the basic definition from Wikipedia which is ”A publicist is a person whose job it is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity or for a work such as a book, film or album”; a publicist, also known as a public relations specialist, is someone who generates media coverage for their client in order to promote them to the public. Clients can be from the film industry, the music industry or even be a company or private business that needs to improve its image in the public eye. In some cases, entertainment publicists also deal with “crisis management;” if there’s some sort of scandal, the publicist and firm find ways to deal with or minimize said scandal.
Entertainment PR encompasses all that ‘regular’ PR is; in the sense of maintaining client reputation, writing press releases and communicating with the media on behalf of the client; but in the realm of the entertainment industry, this can be in the form of representing a media company and also representing celebrities, both established and rising.
Now more than ever, people want to continuously be seen and heard. There is a growing feeling that entertainers need to be in the news all the time as they are almost constantly in touch with their audience or viewers. Everyone is curious to know what is happening in other people’s lives. Don’t forget, entertainment is all about visibility and contacts; the greater the visibility, the more the popularity; It’s as simple as that. People gain popularity both in a good manner as well as in a notorious way and to bring them in this limelight are some agencies and people who work tirelessly. This is fundamentally what is called Public Relations.
Historian Daniel J. Boorstin said “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some hire public relations officers.” What he’s saying is that the sole job of public relations firms or people is to make their client seem very good without letting them know that they are doing it purposefully. It is just not about making our client seem great. There is a lot more that goes in the whole process of establishing relations.
BukiHQ Media speaks on behalf of it’s clients, to help them stay in news, for the right reasons of course. We interact with the audience, create a contact point between the client and the target audience, make the audience aware of the important issues related to the client and many a time, ease out the client from negative publicity. Generally it is a process to get the best favorable publicity for our clients by creating a positive picture amongst all, including the media. However managing entertainment PR is not a cakewalk. The clients in this field are in a class of their own with varied perceptions and thought processes. Each one is unique with his/her own peculiar approach to any kind of a situation. This makes it tough for any PR agency to highlight the client and the qualities therein.
BukiHQ Media is often looked upon as a foremost PR outfit, a leader in Entertainment Public Relations because what we do is that we strive to help brands, personalities and projects to grow through building influence in the traditional, broadcast, print and online media space. The Entertainment public relations professionals on our PR team are adept at scouting and executing effective public relations opportunities for our clients.
PR cycles connect strategy to benchmarks in product development, production and distribution, as well as to seasons and industry events. The expertise of our BHQ Media PR professionals in launching or redefining a brand or public personality is enviable and often emulated by other PR professionals in our industry. We’ll share with you some basic skills that are needed to thrive in Entertainment PR:
Good Communication Skills:
For Entertainment PR to be effective, the firm’s team must have very good communication skill sets, including verbal as well as written communication which are essential to creatively written emails, press releases and blog posts. One of the most important aspects is expressing your thoughts in a clear and concise manner without making grammatical or typographical mistakes. It leaves a bad taste in the minds of the viewers and there is a chance that people may even question your authority on the subject.
Written communication should flow seamlessly and unhindered. The same goes for the verbal communication; if your team is not good at communicating the client’s point of view then there is a chance that you may lose out on good business. When a person speaks, even if it is on behalf of a client, there should be clarity of thought. If the communication manager is confused, the image of the client takes a beating which can have a negative impact on the PR agency.
Rapport Building:
Public Relations is mainly about rapport building; an aspect that is as equally important as the communication skill set. This way, your client believes in you that you will create a positive image in the minds of the audience. If you fail to do so, then the reputation of the client is at stake. A PR team should be well aware of the choice and preferences of the target audience. If the team fails to recognize the pulse of the audience then the whole exercise of creating public relations goes to waste.
An open minded approach while getting to the people; as there are all kinds out there, each with a peculiar taste; must be implemented so as to cater to these tastes and choices. All clients are different in their own way but share one thing in common: mutual respect and trust.
Sticking To Your Own Ground:
Entertainers can be a bit difficult at times and may not go the way you want them to go, but the onus is on you to take them along your given path. The client’s opinions are to be taken care of, agreed, but do not forget to express yourself very clearly and very precisely. Having hard conversations is a regular feature in the Entertainment PR field and you should be ready to stick to your own ground when such a situation arises.
There can be no lies and distrust between you and your client. If there is a sticky situation, you need to be upfront about it. Hiding such news might cause larger damage in the long run. You have to be comfortable saying No to an unwarranted demand of the client.
In a nutshell, the process of Public Relations works both ways; you and the client have to work in tandem and any difference of opinion that appears in the public can give a major setback to the image of both the concerned parties. While taking up a PR assignment in the entertainment industry, you should totally believe in the subject that you are taking up. This will create the magic that the client is looking for and will also enhance his/her image.